TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 2369 SUBJECT: XRF030824: Second-epoch Palomar observations DATE: 03/08/27 05:13:18 GMT FROM: Derek Fox at CIT D.B. Fox and M.P. Hunt (Caltech), with P.A. Price (IfA/Hawaii) report on behalf of the Caltech-NRAO GRB Collaboration: "We have reobserved the HETE-2 WXM localization region for XRF030824 with the 200-inch Hale Telescope and Large-Format Camera on Mt. Palomar. Our dithered 4x300s images cover 95% of the 22.4'-diameter error circle at a mean epoch of August 26.42 UT, 1.72 days after the event. PSF-matched image subtraction of our first-epoch image (mean epoch Aug 25.25; Fox & Hunt, GCN 2364) does not reveal any bright, stationary, variable objects within the part of the WXM localization region covered by our images. The limiting magnitude of the individual images is approximately R~24.5. Within this region we set a lower limit of R>22.5 on the magnitude of any strongly variable optical counterpart to XRF030824 at either epoch. This is a conservative lower limit, which we consider appropriate given the size of the region. Separately, we note the presence of a slow-moving (15" per hour, PA=-73 deg) object within the error circle in our Aug 25.25 image, near RA 00:05:36.69, Dec +19:59:56.9 (J2000), with an approximate R-band magnitude of 19.9. The nearest star to the location of the object reported by Moran et al. (GCN 2363) is constant in brightness in our two images. We find no variable objects in the near vicinity; however, the location is only 15" from the borders of our imaged region. Observers interested in making their own investigation of these data, or comparing with other datasets, should contact Fox by email to arrange for data transfer."